Identifying the top returning players in the era of the transfer portal is trickier than ever.
Now that players can transfer without having to sit out a season, mid-major and low-major programs have essentially become farm systems for power-conference teams. Players who earn all-league honors in smaller conferences parlay their success into scholarship offers at bigger programs rather than sticking around at their original schools.
For instance, four of the five first-team all-Southern Conference players last season are still playing college basketball, but Chattanooga guard Trey Bonham is the only one who remains in the league. JP Pegues transferred from Furman to Auburn, Achor Achor went from Samford to Kansas State and Mikeal Brown-Jones headed from UNC Greensboro to Mississippi.
None of the first-team all-Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference selections from last season remain in the league, though three of them are playing elsewhere. Jalen Leach transferred from Fairfield to Northwestern, Dakota Leffew went from Mount St. Mary’s to Georgia and Corey Washington from Saint Peter’s to Wichita State.
Even with all that movement, plenty of players from one-bid leagues have proven track records that make them worth monitoring this season. They’re just a little harder to spot than before and many are well-traveled.
Bonham’s a prime example of that. He began his college career in the Southern Conference by playing two seasons at VMI. The 6-footer then spent one year at Florida but saw his playing time dip. He found a home last year after returning to the SoCon and playing for Chattanooga.
Although he didn’t become eligible at Chattanooga until December, Bonham earned first-team all-conference honors and collected 16 points, 5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.8 steals per game as the Mocs finished 21-12. The fifth-year senior has been selected as the Southern Conference's preseason player of the year.
Here are some other players from one-bid NCAA tourney leagues who could make a major impact this season. It’s a testament to the transient nature of college basketball in this era that most of the players on this list also have played for multiple schools.
Giffa grew up in France and spent a year each playing at UTEP and Daytona State College before arriving at High Point last season. Giffa, who is 6-2, had 16.2 points per game and was the third-leading scorer in the Big South Conference. Giffa made 242 free throws last season to rank second among all Division I players, behind only Purdue’s Zach Edey. He earned first-team all-Big South honors and helped High Point go 27-9.
Grant-Foster was playing at DePaul in the 2021-22 season when he collapsed in a locker room and had to be resuscitated. He didn’t play the following season before getting medical clearance to return. Foster had a triumphant comeback last season and was named the Western Athletic Conference player of the year while leading Grand Canyon to a 30-5 record and the second round of the NCAA Tournament. He had 20.1 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. Grant-Foster, who is 6-7, had played at Indian Hills Community College and Kansas before transferring to DePaul.
Johnson averaged 17.8 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.25 assists and a Big West-leading 1.8 steals per game last season while helping UC Davis go 20-13. He was the only Big West player to rank among the league’s top 10 players in scoring, assists and steals. Johnson is in his third year at UC Davis after starting his career at Loyola Chicago.
Pierce is the one player on this list who has spent his entire college career at one school. The 6-7 junior started on the 2022-23 Princeton team that reached the Sweet 16. He had nine points and 16 rebounds in Princeton’s second-round victory over Missouri and finished that season with 8.2 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. Pierce followed that up by averaging 16.6 points, 9.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists last year while helping Princeton go 24-4. He was named the Ivy League’s player of the year.
Robinson, a 6-footer, had 15.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game to earn first-team all-Ohio Valley Conference honors in his first year at Little Rock as the Trojans finished 21-13. Robinson played two seasons at Arkansas and one year at Texas A&M before enrolling at Little Rock.
Shumate, who is 6-6, capped a productive 2023-24 season by collecting 19 points and 11 rebounds in an NCAA Tournament first-round loss to Gonzaga. After playing one season at Tulsa, Shumate has averaged at least 12 points each of his three seasons at McNeese. He had 12.1 points and 9.5 rebounds per game last season.
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